Meat, Meat, and More Meat at Cue Modern Barbecue!

Thou shall not judge a restaurant based on crappy photos taken by some dancing, alcoholic food blogger.

I was totally pissed off that I didn’t bring my camera when we had a team dinner at Cue Modern Barbecue in Bonifacio High Street Central. I’ve always wanted to blog about Cue, only waiting for a chance to swing by and for fellow pigs to accompany me—and when the day finally came, my Lumix was left sitting on my bedroom desk. I had to make use of what I had at the moment: my trusty Nexus 4, whose trustiness ends in low-light conditions. So forgive me in advance, for the bad photos that would follow.

Cue Modern Barbecue is a BBQ restaurant serving up ribs and steaks, among others. For our first quarterly team building this year, my officemates and I decided to assail this meat house to indulge in a carnivorous feast.

alfresco dining at Cue

I never thought a barbecue place could look so elegant, but looking at Cue’s exteriors, I found that my notion of a grill is completely stereotypical. Red and brown dominate the design, as well as cute figurines of pigs, which I as usual wanted to steal (I managed to pocket one … hahahahaha just kidding!). Inside, plush booths are positioned against a wall adorned with pictures of animals and their meat cuts. On the other side is the bar and open kitchen.

These cute knickknacks greet you upon entry.

The server Alex assisted us all the way in choosing what to order—from appetizers, to the sides, and to the meats. While waiting for our food, we were served some complimentary popcorn in two flavors: barbecue and cheese.

To start, we had some Grilled Pear and Parmesan Salad: a medley of pear wedges, parmesan crisps, pecans, grapes, radish and mixed greens tossed with a honey-maple vinaigrette. Salads are normally taken for granted—but this one just demands to be noticed. Salty, sweet, and tangy at the same time, it guarantees a new surprise with each forkful.

Grilled Pear and Parmesan Salad (Half, P175; Whole P255)

Next was the Campfire-Style Skillet of Queso Fundido: a delicious mix of white cheddar, chorizo, cilantro, and tomatoes, served with some flour tortillas. The cheese fondue was delicious, but I found the tortillas too tiny.

Campfire Style Skillet of Queso Fundido, P190

Then came the Bone Marrow and Steak Tacos, a dish so delightful that it was gone in 30 seconds. Cubes of rib eye, a half-foot-long bone marrow, roasted corn salsa, and sweet-and-spicy salsa verde fuse together into a sinful symphony of flavors. The salsa verde is crazy, I poured every last drop into my mouth.

For the mains, we had ordered a variety and first to arrive to our table were the Bacon Slabs. A half-pound of house-cured bacon, slow-baked then grilled, this was not your ordinary bacon! Just the sheer size of it was enough to make my heart pump faster than normal. Request for the chimichurri to go with it, an herby sauce perfect for grilled meats; ditch the Bacon and Longganiza Dirty Rice (too overwhelming) and opt for a plain white rice instead.

Bacon Slab, P455

It’s stupid not to eat ribs on a barbecue place, so we ordered two full racks of Baby Back Ribs—one dry-rubbed (spice-rubbed) and one wet (glazed with their special BBQ sauce). I liked the Dry-Rubbed more (read my philosophy on meat sauces) but the wet variant was incredibly good too! Their ribs came with generous, tender chunks of meat with a side of red wine BBQ sauce.

The Baby Back Ribs (Half-slab, P645; Full-slab, P1185)

I’ve never eaten a pot pie before, and Cue’s Chicken Chipotle Chorizo Pot Pie represented my very unforgettable first time. Fillets of chicken, chorizo, pepper, and bourbon cream play inside the mouth, urging you to take another bite. This dish was so good!

The Grilled Peri-Peri Chicken was another remarkable dish. The spice-rubbed quarter-chicken came with a jar of cucumber and watermelon pickles that was so delicious and hoard-worthy. Seriously, what the fuck is so special with this cucumber and watermelon thing—why am I so crazy about it? The chicken wasn’t bad at all—it was awesome, actually—but the thing in the jar left a bigger mark in my palate. Am I weird or what?

Grilled Peri-Peri Chicken with Watermelon Pickles, P335.Damn, this picture could never ever bring to life the dish's actual greatness.

As if we hadn’t consumed enough meat yet, we ordered a platter of A Li’l Feast as well: a sampler of the bacon, corned beef, baby back ribs, and beef belly. Out of the four, the Corned Beef was the best—the melt-in-your-mouth meat was too good for words. You know what, just believe me and try it! Then make a scandal outside my house if you end up not liking it!

A Lil' Feast, P1785

When we visited, Cue was also serving some Lenten Specials, so we decided to try the Grilled Apple-Smoked Salmon. The fresh salmon was served in a bed of cilantro lime potato salad, which complemented the fish very well. Even though we were already full, we were still fighting over this dish, I swear.

Grilled Apple-smoked Salmon with Cilantro-Lime Potato Salad, P565

I never expected I would enjoy Cue Modern Barbecue so much. After previous bad experiences with barbecue places, I was amazed at how Cue made each dish distinctive, and throw in sides that perfectly complement. Even the sauces taste different from each other. Can someone introduce me to the chef please? I seriously want to thank him for making such awesome food!

If you are in Bonifacio Global City, craving for meat, meat, meat, and got the dough to spend, head over Cue Modern Barbecue and indulge in a selection of chicken, pork, and beef. Don’t let my photos discourage you—the food is a hundred times better than them. This is the most embarrassing blog post I have ever written, but I still had to publish it in order to share with you the awesomeness that is Cue.